Tacrolimus Impairs Kupffer Cell Capacity to Control Bacteremia: Why Transplant Recipients Are Susceptible to Infection.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Kupffer cells (KCs) are the resident intravascular phagocyte population of the liver and critical to the capture and killing of bacteria. Calcineurin/nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) inhibitors (CNIs) such as tacrolimus are used to prevent rejection in solid organ transplant recipients. Although their effect on lymphocytes has been studied extensively, there are limited experimental data about if and how CNIs shape innate immunity, and whether this contributes to the higher rates of infection observed in patients taking CNIs. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Here, we investigated the impact of tacrolimus treatment on innate immunity and, more specifically, on the capability of Kupffer cells (KCs) to fight infections. Retrospective analysis of data of >2,700 liver transplant recipients showed that taking calcineurin inhibitors such as tacrolimus significantly increased the likelihood of Staphylococcus aureus infection. Using a mouse model of acute methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) bacteremia, most bacteria were sequestered in the liver and we found that bacteria were more likely to disseminate and kill the host in tacrolimus-treated mice. Using imaging, we unveiled the mechanism underlying this observation: the reduced capability of KCs to capture, phagocytose, and destroy bacteria in tacrolimus-treated animals. Furthermore, in a gene expression analysis of infected KCs, the triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (TREM1) pathway was the one with the most significant down-regulation after tacrolimus treatment. TREM1 inhibition likewise inhibited KC bacteria capture. TREM1 levels on neutrophils as well as the overall neutrophil response after infection were unaffected by tacrolimus treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that tacrolimus treatment has a significant impact directly on KCs and on TREM1, thereby compromising their capacity to fend off infections.

Characterization and prediction of the mechanism of action of antibiotics through NMR metabolomics.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of antibiotic resistant pathogenic bacteria has reduced our ability to combat infectious diseases. At the same time the numbers of new antibiotics reaching the market have decreased. This situation has created an urgent need to discover novel antibiotic scaffolds. Recently, the application of pattern recognition techniques to identify molecular fingerprints in 'omics' studies, has emerged as an important tool in biomedical research and laboratory medicine to identify pathogens, to monitor therapeutic treatments or to develop drugs with improved metabolic stability, toxicological profile and efficacy. Here, we hypothesize that a combination of metabolic intracellular fingerprints and extracellular footprints would provide a more comprehensive picture about the mechanism of action of novel antibiotics in drug discovery programs. RESULTS: In an attempt to integrate the metabolomics approach as a classification tool in the drug discovery processes, we have used quantitative (1)H NMR spectroscopy to study the metabolic response of Escherichia coli cultures to different antibiotics. Within the frame of our study the effects of five different and well-known antibiotic classes on the bacterial metabolome were investigated both by intracellular fingerprint and extracellular footprint analysis. The metabolic fingerprints and footprints of bacterial cultures were affected in a distinct manner and provided complementary information regarding intracellular and extracellular targets such as protein synthesis, DNA and cell wall. While cell cultures affected by antibiotics that act on intracellular targets showed class-specific fingerprints, the metabolic footprints differed significantly only when antibiotics that target the cell wall were applied. In addition, using a training set of E. coli fingerprints extracted after treatment with different antibiotic classes, the mode of action of streptomycin, tetracycline and carbenicillin could be correctly predicted. CONCLUSION: The metabolic profiles of E. coli treated with antibiotics with intracellular and extracellular targets could be separated in fingerprint and footprint analysis, respectively and provided complementary information. Based on the specific fingerprints obtained for different classes of antibiotics, the mode of action of several antibiotics could be predicted. The same classification approach should be applicable to studies of other pathogenic bacteria.

Treml4, an Ig superfamily member, mediates presentation of several antigens to T cells in vivo, including protective immunity to HER2 protein.

Members of the triggering expressed on myeloid cells (Trem) receptor family fine-tune inflammatory responses. We previously identified one of these receptors, called Treml4, expressed mainly in the spleen, as well as at high levels by CD8α(+) dendritic cells and macrophages. Like other Trem family members, Treml4 has an Ig-like extracellular domain and a short cytoplasmic tail that associates with the adaptor DAP12. To follow up on our initial results that Treml4-Fc fusion proteins bind necrotic cells, we generated a knockout mouse to assess the role of Treml4 in the uptake and presentation of dying cells in vivo. Loss of Treml4 expression did not impair uptake of dying cells by CD8α(+) dendritic cells or cross-presentation of cell-associated Ag to CD8(+) T cells, suggesting overlapping function between Treml4 and other receptors in vivo. To further investigate Treml4 function, we took advantage of a newly generated mAb against Treml4 and engineered its H chain to express three different Ags (i.e., OVA, HIV GAGp24, and the extracellular domain of the breast cancer protein HER2). OVA directed to Treml4 was efficiently presented to CD8(+) and CD4(+) T cells in vivo. Anti-Treml4-GAGp24 mAbs, given along with a maturation stimulus, induced Th1 Ag-specific responses that were not observed in Treml4 knockout mice. Also, HER2 targeting using anti-Treml4 mAbs elicited combined CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell immunity, and both T cells participated in resistance to a transplantable tumor. Therefore, Treml4 participates in Ag presentation in vivo, and targeting Ags with anti-Treml4 Abs enhances immunization of otherwise naive mice.

Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial infections give rise to a different metabolic response in a mouse model.

Metabolomics has become an important tool to study host-pathogen interactions and to discover potential novel therapeutic targets. In an attempt to develop a better understanding of the process of pathogenesis and the associated host response we have used a quantitative (1)H NMR approach to study the metabolic response to different bacterial infections. Here we describe that metabolic changes found in serum of mice that were infected with Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa can distinguish between infections caused by Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. By combining the results of the mouse study with those of bacterial footprinting culture experiments, bacterially secreted metabolites could be identified as potential bacterium-specific biomarkers for P. aeruginosa infections but not for the other strains. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed correlations between metabolic, cytokine and physiological responses. In TLR4 and TLR2 knockout mice, host-response pathway correlated metabolites could be identified and allowed us for the first time to distinguish between bacterial- and host-induced metabolic changes. Since Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria activate different receptor pathways in the host, our results suggest that it may become possible in the future to use a metabolomics approach to improve on current clinical microbiology diagnostic methods.

Secretory cell hyperplasia and defects in Notch activity in a mouse model of leukocyte adhesion deficiency type II.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Leukocyte adhesion deficiency II (LAD II) is a rare condition caused by defective protein fucosylation, causing decreased leukocyte rolling, psychomotor retardation, and poor growth. The ligand-binding activity of Notch, a gastrointestinal signaling protein, depends on O-fucosylation. We investigated Notch signaling and intestinal epithelial architecture in a mouse model of LAD II. METHODS: Mice lacking 3,5-epimerase/4-reductase (FX) or FX(-/-) bone marrow chimeras (with either wild-type or FX(-/-) bone marrow) were maintained on a fucose-free diet. Intestinal secretory epithelial cells were quantified by histology and immunohistochemistry. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunoblot analyses were used to detect Notch-regulated genes in isolated crypt epithelium. Intestinal leukocyte-endothelial interaction was quantified by intravital microscopy. The intestinal epithelium of 2-week-old FX(-/-) mice was transfected with an adenoviral vector expressing a constitutively active form of Notch. RESULTS: FX(-/-) mice rapidly exhibited secretory epithelial cell hyperplasia, reduced cell proliferation, and altered epithelial gene expression patterns consistent with reduced Notch signaling. These effects were reversed when mice were given dietary fucose or by adenoviral transfection of the intestinal epithelium with the Notch intracellular domain. CONCLUSIONS: In a mouse model of LAD II, secretory cell hyperplasia occurs in the small intestine and colon; these effects depend on Notch signaling. Defects in Notch signaling might therefore be involved in the pathogenesis of this rare pediatric condition.

Divergent roles of Toll-like receptor 2 in response to lipoteichoic acid and Staphylococcus aureus in vivo.

The response of leukocytes to lipoteichoic acid (LTA), a TLR2-dependent major cell wall component of Staphylococcus aureus, is linked to the outcome of an infection. In this study we investigated the role of nonhematopoietic TLR2 in response to LTA and S. aureus by creating bone marrow chimeras. Significant leukocyte recruitment in response to LTA required IFN-gamma priming in WT C57BL/6 and TLR2(-/-)-->WT mice, but was not observed in TLR2(-/-) or WT-->TLR2(-/-) animals. LTA also induced a proinflammatory response in IFN-gamma primed primary human microvascular endothelial cells leading to leukocyte recruitment in vitro. When mice were infected with S. aureus, the most profound elevation of TNF-alpha and IL-6 was seen in TLR2(-/-) and TLR2(-/-)-->WT mice. TLR2(-/-), but not chimeric mice, demonstrated increased IL-17, blood leukocytosis and pulmonary neutrophilia compared to WT mice. Collectively, the results suggest an essential role for IFN-gamma and nonhematopoietic TLR2 for leukocyte recruitment in response to LTA. In contrast, TLR2 on both hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic cells appears to orchestrate an inhibitory response to S. aureus such that in complete TLR2 deficiency, there is an exaggerated proinflammatory response and/or skewing of the immune response towards a Th17 phenotype that may contribute to the decreased survival of TLR2(-/-) mice.

CD34 is required for infiltration of eosinophils into the colon and pathology associated with DSS-induced ulcerative colitis.

Eosinophil migration into the gut and the release of granular mediators plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases, including ulcerative colitis. We recently demonstrated that eosinophil migration into the lung requires cell surface expression of the sialomucin CD34 on mast cells and eosinophils in an asthma model. Based on these findings, we investigated a similar role for CD34 in the migration of eosinophils and other inflammatory cells into the colon as well as explored the effects of CD34 ablation on disease development in a dextran sulfate sodium-induced model of ulcerative colitis. Our findings demonstrate decreased disease severity in dextran sulfate sodium-treated Cd34(-/-) mice, as assessed by weight loss, diarrhea, bleeding, colon shortening and tissue pathology, compared with wild-type controls. CD34 was predominantly expressed on eosinophils within inflamed colon tissues, and Cd34(-/-) animals exhibited drastically reduced colon eosinophil infiltration. Using chimeric animals, we demonstrated that decreased disease pathology resulted from loss of CD34 from bone marrow-derived cells and that eosinophilia in Cd34(-/-)IL5(Tg) animals was sufficient to overcome protection from disease. In addition, we demonstrated a decrease in peripheral blood eosinophil numbers following dextran sulfate sodium treatment. These findings demonstrate that CD34 was expressed on colon-infiltrating eosinophils and played a role in eosinophil migration. Further, our findings suggest CD34 is required for efficient eosinophil migration, but not proliferation or expansion, in the development of ulcerative colitis.

CD34 mediates intestinal inflammation in Salmonella-infected mice.

CD34 is a highly glycosylated sialomucin expressed on a variety of cells, ranging from vascular endothelial cells to haematopoietic stem cells. Depending on its glycosylation state, CD34 has been shown to promote or inhibit cell adhesion and migration; however, a functional role for CD34 in the gut has not been determined. Using a model of Salmonella-induced gastroenteritis, we investigated the role of CD34 in the context of infection. Upon oral infection, the number of CD34+ cells detected in the submucosa, vascular endothelium and lamina propria significantly increased in S. Typhimurium-infected C57Bl/6 mice. The pathology of S. Typhimurium-infected C57Bl/6 mice was characterized by recruitment of neutrophils to the site of inflammation, submucosal oedema and crypt destruction. In contrast, Cd34(-/-) mice showed a delayed pathology, a defect in inflammatory cell migration into the intestinal tissue and enhanced survival. Importantly, this was not due to a lack of chemotactic signals in Cd34(-/-) mice as these mice had either similar or significantly higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines post infection when compared with infected C57/Bl6 control mice. In summary, we demonstrate a novel role for CD34 in enhancing migration of inflammatory cells and thereby exacerbating host-mediated immunopathology in the intestine of S. Typhimurium-infected mice.

Bone marrow-derived mast cells accumulate in the central nervous system during inflammation but are dispensable for experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis pathogenesis.

Reports showing that W/W(v) mice are protected from experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE, a murine model of multiple sclerosis), have implicated mast cells as an essential component in disease susceptibility, but the role of mast cell trafficking has not been addressed. In this study, we have used both mast cell transplantation and genetic mutations (Cd34(-/-), W/W(v), W(sh)/W(sh)) to investigate the role of mast cell trafficking in EAE in detail. We show, for the first time, that bone marrow-derived mast cells are actively recruited to the CNS during EAE. Unexpectedly, however, we found that EAE develops unabated in two independent genetic backgrounds in the complete absence of mast cells or bone marrow-derived mast cell reconstitution. We conclude that although mast cells do accumulate in the brain and CNS during demyelinating disease via peripheral mast cell trafficking, they are completely dispensable for development of disease.

SHIP1 is a repressor of mast cell hyperplasia, cytokine production, and allergic inflammation in vivo.

SHIP1 inhibits immune receptor signaling through hydrolysis of the PI3K product phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate, forming phosphatidylinositol 3,4-bisphosphate. In mast cells, SHIP1 represses FcepsilonRI- and cytokine-mediated activation in vitro, but little is known regarding the function of SHIP1 in mast cells in vivo or the susceptibility of Ship1(-/-) mice to mast cell-associated diseases. In this study, we found that Ship1(-/-) mice have systemic mast cell hyperplasia, increased serum levels of IL-6, TNF, and IL-5, and heightened anaphylactic response. Further, by reconstituting mast cell-deficient mice with Ship1(+/+) or Ship1(-/-) mast cells, we found that the above defects were due to loss of SHIP1 in mast cells. Additionally, we found that mice reconstituted with Ship1(-/-) mast cells suffered worse allergic asthma pathology than those reconstituted with Ship1(+/+) mast cells. In summary, our data show that SHIP1 represses allergic inflammation and mast cell hyperplasia in vivo and exerts these effects specifically in mast cells.

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis Releases a DNase-Like Protein That Degrades NETs and Allows for Fungal Escape.

Paracoccidioidomycosis is a systemic fungal disease, considered endemic in Latin America. Its etiological agents, fungi of the Paracoccidioides complex, have restricted geographic habitat, conidia as infecting form, and thermo-dimorphic characteristics. Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) are responsible for an important defense response against fungus, releasing Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs), which can wrap and destroy the yeasts. However, it has been described that some pathogens are able to evade from these DNA structures by releasing DNase as an escape mechanism. As different NETs patterns have been identified in PMNs cultures challenged with different isolates of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, the general objective of this study was to identify if different patterns of NETs released by human PMNs challenged with Pb18 (virulent) and Pb265 (avirulent) isolates would be correlated with fungal ability to produce a DNase-like protein. To this end, PMNs from healthy subjects were isolated and challenged in vitro with both fungal isolates. The production, release, and conformation of NETs in response to the fungi were evaluated by Confocal Microscopy, Scanning Microscopy, and NETs Quantification. The identification of fungal DNase production was assessed by DNase TEST Agar, and the relative gene expression for hypothetical proteins was investigated by RT-qPCR, whose genes had been identified in the fungal genome in the GenBank (PADG_11161 and PADG_08285). It was possible to verify the NETs release by PMNs, showing different NETs formation when in contact with different isolates of the fungus. The Pb18 isolate induced the release of looser, larger, and more looking like degraded NETs compared to the Pb265 isolate, which induced the release of denser and more compact NETs. DNase TEST Agar identified the production of a DNase-like protein, showing that only Pb18 showed the capacity to degrade DNA in these plates. Besides that, we were able to identify that both PADG_08528 and PADG_11161 genes were more expressed during interaction with neutrophil by the virulent isolate, being PADG_08528 highly expressed in these cultures, demonstrating that this gene could have a greater contribution to the production of the protein. Thus, we identified that the virulent isolate is inducing more scattered and loose NETs, probably by releasing a DNase-like protein. This factor could be an important escape mechanism used by the fungus to escape the NETs action.

Endothelium-derived Toll-like receptor-4 is the key molecule in LPS-induced neutrophil sequestration into lungs.

The rapid and selective accumulation of neutrophils into the lungs is thought to underlie the pulmonary failure that leads to sepsis-related death. In this study we investigated whether neutrophil TLR4 is important in LPS-induced pulmonary neutrophil recruitment by creating chimeric mice (transferring bone marrow between TLR4(+/+) and TLR4(-/-) mice). In TLR4(+/+) mice receiving TLR4(-/-) bone marrow, 6 weeks after transplant TLR4 was absent in all circulating leukocytes as well as in resident macrophages (these mice were termed LeukocyteTLR4(-/-)), and these cells were completely nonresponsive to LPS. In TLR4(-/-) mice receiving TLR4(+/+) bone marrow, endothelial cells but not leukocytes were deficient in TLR4 (EndotheliumTLR4(-/-)). Surprisingly, systemic LPS (0.5 mg/kg) induced a dramatic increase in neutrophil sequestration into the lungs of LeukocyteTLR4(-/-) mice over the first 4 hours. Concomitantly, numbers of circulating leukocytes decreased by 90%. By contrast, EndotheliumTLR4(-/-) mice showed very little increase in neutrophil sequestration in the lungs, suggesting that endothelium rather than leukocyte TLR4 was important. Intravital microscopy of peripheral microcirculation in the cremaster muscle revealed about 30-fold more leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions in LPS-treated EndotheliumTLR4(-/-) mice than in LPS-treated LeukocyteTLR4(-/-) mice. This is consistent with less sequestration of leukocytes into the lungs of EndotheliumTLR4(-/-) mice. In conclusion, our data challenge the view that LPS directly activates neutrophils to trap in lungs and suggest a far more important role than previously appreciated for the endothelial cells.

The Lung is a Host Defense Niche for Immediate Neutrophil-Mediated Vascular Protection.

Bloodstream infection is a hallmark of sepsis, a medically emergent condition requiring rapid treatment. However, upregulation of host defense proteins through toll-like receptors and NFκB requires hours after endotoxin detection. Using confocal pulmonary intravital microscopy, we identified that the lung provides a TLR4-Myd88-and abl tyrosine kinase-dependent niche for immediate CD11b-dependent neutrophil responses to endotoxin and Gram-negative bloodstream pathogens. In an in vivo model of bacteremia, neutrophils crawled to and rapidly phagocytosed Escherichia coli sequestered to the lung endothelium. Therefore, the lung capillaries provide a vascular defensive niche whereby endothelium and neutrophils cooperate for immediate detection and capture of disseminating pathogens.

Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in endotoxemia: chimeric mice reveal different cellular sources in various tissues.

The aim of these experiments was to determine the contribution of leukocyte-derived iNOS to total iNOS expression induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). By transferring bone marrow between iNOS+/+ and iNOS-/- mice, we created chimeric mice in which iNOS expression was limited to either circulating leukocytes (leukocyte-iNOS mice) or parenchymal cells (parenchyma-iNOS mice). Analysis of congenic markers demonstrated that >95% of thymocytes in chimeric mice were of donor origin. Also, following LPS treatment, iNOS mRNA was detectable in blood from leukocyte-iNOS mice but not parenchyma-iNOS mice. Together these findings indicated that the host marrow had been replaced entirely by donor cells. In the lung, at least 50% of the LPS-induced iNOS mRNA was derived from leukocytes, and immunohistochemical analysis indicated that leukocytes were the main source of iNOS protein. In contrast in the liver, colon, and muscle, iNOS expression was derived predominantly from parenchymal cells. This divergence is potentially explained by the high level of leukocyte recruitment to the lung, relative to the other tissues. Plasma levels of NOS byproducts indicated that parenchymal iNOS was the dominant source of systemic iNOS activity. These findings indicate that in tissues other than the lung, parenchymal cells are the principal source of iNOS during endotoxemia.

Specialized role of migratory dendritic cells in peripheral tolerance induction.

Harnessing DCs for immunotherapies in vivo requires the elucidation of the physiological role of distinct DC populations. Migratory DCs traffic from peripheral tissues to draining lymph nodes charged with tissue self antigens. We hypothesized that these DC populations have a specialized role in the maintenance of peripheral tolerance, specifically, to generate suppressive Foxp3+ Tregs. To examine the differential capacity of migratory DCs versus blood-derived lymphoid-resident DCs for Treg generation in vivo, we targeted a self antigen, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein, using antibodies against cell surface receptors differentially expressed in these DC populations. Using this approach together with mouse models that lack specific DC populations, we found that migratory DCs have a superior ability to generate Tregs in vivo, which in turn drastically improve the outcome of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. These results provide a rationale for the development of novel therapies targeting migratory DCs for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

Infection-induced NETosis is a dynamic process involving neutrophil multitasking in vivo.

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are released as neutrophils die in vitro in a process requiring hours, leaving a temporal gap that invasive microbes may exploit. Neutrophils capable of migration and phagocytosis while undergoing NETosis have not been documented. During Gram-positive skin infections, we directly visualized live polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) in vivo rapidly releasing NETs, which prevented systemic bacterial dissemination. NETosis occurred during crawling, thereby casting large areas of NETs. NET-releasing PMNs developed diffuse decondensed nuclei, ultimately becoming devoid of DNA. Cells with abnormal nuclei showed unusual crawling behavior highlighted by erratic pseudopods and hyperpolarization consistent with the nucleus being a fulcrum for crawling. A requirement for both Toll-like receptor 2 and complement-mediated opsonization tightly regulated NET release. Additionally, live human PMNs injected into mouse skin developed decondensed nuclei and formed NETS in vivo, and intact anuclear neutrophils were abundant in Gram-positive human abscesses. Therefore early in infection NETosis involves neutrophils that do not undergo lysis and retain the ability to multitask.

Podocalyxin selectively marks erythroid-committed progenitors during anemic stress but is dispensable for efficient recovery.

OBJECTIVE: Podocalyxin expression on Ter119(+) erythroblasts is induced following administration of erythropoietin (Epo) or phenylhydrazine treatment, but is notably absent on committed erythroid progenitors during homeostatic red cell turnover. Following high-dose Epo administration in vivo, podocalyxin surface expression is upregulated, in part, via a signal transducers and activators of transcription 5-dependent pathway and this expression has been postulated to play a role in the release of reticulocytes from hematopoietic organs into the periphery under conditions of increased erythropoietic rate. Here we have thoroughly addressed this hypothesis and further examined the expression profile of podocalyxin during Epo-induced erythroblast expansion and stress erythropoiesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Following Epo induction, progenitor cells were sorted to characterize podocalyxin expression during stress. In addition, as podocalyxin-deficient mice die perinatally, we used chimeric mice reconstituted with wild-type or podocalyxin-deficient hematopoietic cells to analyze differences in response to high dose Epo administration and chemically induced anemia. RESULTS: Podocalyxin surface expression is rapidly upregulated in response to stress and marks early erythroid progenitors and erythroblasts. Despite loss of podocalyxin, chimeras exhibit normal basal erythropoiesis and no differences in erythroid progenitor proportions in the spleen and marrow in response to Epo. Further, podocalyxin is dispensable for efficient recovery from models of anemia. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that podocalyxin is a highly specific marker of stress-induced blast-forming unit erythroid and colony-forming unit erythroid progenitors in mouse bone marrow and spleen. In addition, our findings suggest that podocalyxin is not necessary for efficient erythroblast expansion, erythroid differentiation, or reticulocyte release in response to Epo stimulation in vivo.

Interferon-gamma limits Th1 lymphocyte adhesion to inflamed endothelium: a nitric oxide regulatory feedback mechanism.

CD4(+) T helper (Th1 and Th2) cell localization to a site of inflammation is important for the development, maintenance and regulation of an immune response. The factors that regulate Th1 and Th2 cell recruitment into tissue are not fully understood. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of different cytokine microenvironments on the recruitment of Th1 and Th2 lymphocytes into tissue. Fluorescently labelled Th1 or Th2 lymphocyte-endothelial interactions were observed via intravital microscopy of the cytokine-treated cremaster muscle. Our results show that TNF-alpha alone is sufficient to maximally recruit Th1 cells. Surprisingly, treatment with TNF-alpha + IFN-gamma significantly decreased Th1 adhesion and emigration in comparison to TNF-alpha treatment alone. The decreased adhesion of Th1 cells in response to TNF-alpha + IFN-gamma reflected a decreased ability to bind to ICAM-1 and was iNOS-dependent. This phenomenon was not observed with Th2 cells. These results suggest that IFN-gamma may play a key immunomodulatory role in the recruitment of different T lymphocyte subsets. Indeed, blockade of IFN-gamma or iNOS function during the Th1-mediated contact hypersensitivity response resulted in an acceleration and exacerbation of the late-phase inflammatory response.

CD34 facilitates the development of allergic asthma.

Asthma is a pulmonary inflammatory disease dependent on eosinophil and mast cell infiltration into the lung. CD34 is a sialomucin expressed by both of these cell types, and we have used CD34(-/-) mice and a standard mouse model of asthma to evaluate the importance of CD34 expression on disease development. In comparison with wild-type (wt) mice, CD34(-/-) mice exhibited a dramatic reduction in all hallmarks of allergic asthma, including lowered airway inflammatory cell infiltration, airway hyperresponsiveness, and mast-cell recruitment. Bone marrow transplantation experiments confirmed that these defects are due to CD34 expression by bone marrow-derived cells. This was not, however, due to an inability to respond to antigen as, on a per cell basis, wt and CD34(-/-) inflammatory cells exhibit identical responses in cytokine production. We found a striking reduction in mobility of CD34(-/-) eosinophils in vitro, the major component of inflammatory infiltrates, which was consistent with proposed models for CD34 as an inhibitor of cell-cell adhesion. In summary, our data suggest that CD34 enhances mast-cell and eosinophil invasiveness and that its expression by these cells is a prerequisite for development of allergic asthma.

A requirement for microglial TLR4 in leukocyte recruitment into brain in response to lipopolysaccharide.

To study the mechanisms involved in leukocyte recruitment induced by local bacterial infection within the CNS, we used intravital microscopy to visualize the interaction between leukocytes and the microvasculature in the brain. First, we showed that intracerebroventricular injection of LPS could cause significant rolling and adhesion of leukocytes in the brain postcapillary venules of wild-type mice, while negligible recruitment was observed in TLR4-deficient C57BL/10ScCr mice and CD14 knockout mice, suggesting recruitment is mediated by TLR4/CD14-bearing cells. Moreover, we observed reduced but not complete inhibition of recruitment in MyD88 knockout mice, indicating both MyD88-dependent and -independent pathways are involved. The leukocyte recruitment responses in chimeric mice with TLR4-positive microglia and endothelium, but TLR4-negative leukocytes, were comparable to normal wild-type mice, suggesting either endothelium or microglia play a crucial role in the induction of leukocyte recruitment. LPS injection induced both microglial and endothelial activation in the CNS. Furthermore, minocycline, an effective inhibitor of microglial activation, completely blocked the rolling and adhesion of leukocytes in the brain and blocked TNF-alpha production in response to LPS in vivo. Minocycline did not affect activation of endothelium by LPS in vitro. TNFR p55/p75 double knockout mice also exhibited significant reductions in both rolling and adhesion in response to LPS, indicating TNF-alpha signaling is critical for the leukocyte recruitment. Our results identify a TLR4 detection system within the blood-brain barrier. The microglia play the role of sentinel cells detecting LPS thereby inducing endothelial activation and leading to efficient leukocyte recruitment to the CNS.